National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

not determinable. Traces of the polishing are visible on both sides. The shaft
end was made by sawing around the bottom of the hoe.

The advanced culture of the South Kurgan also shows itself in implements
and objects which were in a certain sense intended to serve as luxuries, and with
them we will close the list of objects from the middle strata.

*Seals and stamps.*—In describing the excavations in terrace B, mention was
made of the discovery of a three-faced stone seal of tri-
angular cross-section, showing figures on all three sides
(S.K. 73). The black stone shows some cracks and
scratches. On it are represented a man, a lion, and a
griffin; the stone is shown in fig. 400 and the negative
and positive casts in plate 45, fig. 8. It was found in
terrace B at +28.25 feet. The work-
manship is very imperfect, the cutting
is shallow, and the representation of
human and animal forms leaves much
to be desired. The human figure is par-
ticularly awkward, both as regards its attitude and the rendering of the form in
detail. The animals are somewhat more successful; at least there is no doubt as
to their identity. Very little care was taken, however, in representing the legs of
the lion; and the characterization of the head is not sufficiently apt. The griffin
is better, even though the wings are clumsily placed on the neck of the animal.

More simple ornaments are produced by the other stamps made of stone and
clay. Concentric rings with a high central
boss were produced with a stamp made of
greenish-white clay (S.K. 341; fig. 401 and
plate 45, fig. 9), from shaft C of the upper
digging, April 26, 1904, in the middle
layers of culture III. A cross form, with
ridges projecting between the arms and
showing crescent-shaped figures at the top,
is shown in the square clay stamp with a
perforated handle (S.K. 105; fig. 402; plate
45, fig. 11), from terrace B, between +25
feet and +26.25 feet. A partially preserved
stamp of dark-gray, polished stone, with
perforated handle (S.K. 170; fig. 403 and
plate 45, fig. 7), from the upper digging,
between +25 feet 5 inches and +29 feet, served to produce a star pattern.

*Stone vessels.*—We may also class vessels made of stone among the precious
objects of luxury, of which only small fragments—lip and bottom pieces—remain.
They are small, deep, steep-walled cups with variously lipped forms. In some
the lip is only slightly thickened, as in S.K. 256 (fig. 404) from terrace B, between
+21 feet 5 inches and +23 feet 7 inches. In some it widens outward horizontally